Loreen Lock, Head of Clinical Governance, RMI talks about the challenges of keeping workers safe and healthy as operations move to move remote areas
What challenges is the downstream sector facing?
As the O&G industry trends towards operations in more and more remote environments, medical services supporting those operations must become more robust and sophisticated while remaining cost-conscious. From enhanced fit-for-duty standards to technologically savvy clinic solutions to resilient and healthy workforces, the medical service contractor is a key partner in enabling clients to confidently and effectively operate further from definitive care.
How do you see digitization and disruptive technologies changing the downstream sector?
There are questions in the media today about how AI is going to impact the industry, even in medical for example could a physician or even a surgeon be replaced. Possibly, maybe, but only when fail-safes are in place, which ultimately today continues to be the in-person medical provider. However, is it possible that by putting the power of technology into the hands of a lesser trained provider, we can enhance their capabilities by orders of magnitude? Say by giving an offshore or remote medic with honed assessment skills a virtual link to any specialist consultant, or tele-ultrasound or other diagnostics, essentially transporting medical expertise as needed into the remote field clinic whether far offshore or in the far reaches of our developing world.
How willing is the sector to accept change and new technologies?
Every RFP asks for innovative solutions. Honestly, though, those solutions often come with a not insignificant price tag. I think the curiosity and interest is there, but the sector is still operating conservatively while the market -hopefully- recovers. Can't blame them, really.
What innovations in products and/or services do you have in the market or are working on?
We are a client of medical technologies and keep abreast with new innovations and the latest medical offerings from pharmaceuticals to diagnostics to trauma interventions, and creatively consider what is proven effective in military or urban hospitals or EMS settings and ask how we can apply it to the remote setting where there is no hospital and likely no doctor.
Any short example of work in this sector?
We work on offshore and land-based drill rigs from the North Sea to rural Africa, as well as refineries and power plants in the US: for Maersk Drilling (via our recent acquisition of HSE Offshore), Tullow Oil, BP, and B&W.
Loreen Lock will be talking about digitising business processes at Future Downstream conference that is being held in London on December 4th
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Eva Brynjulfsen / 20-Nov-2018